A Reminder from the Consumer Product Safety Commission

As we turn to Daylight Saving Time this weekend, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission is reminding people throughout the U.S. of the importance of having working smoke and carbon monoxide (CO) alarms in their homes.

When changing clocks ahead one hour for Daylight Saving Time this weekend, CPSC is recommending that people replace the batteries in alarms.  According to the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Housing Survey for 2011, only three out of four homes reported they changed the batteries in their smoke alarms in the last six months. Batteries need to be replaced in alarms every year. In addition, CPSC recommends that consumers test their alarms every month to make sure they are working.

There are more than 366,000 home fires every year and more than 2,300 people die in them, according to CPSC’s latest Residential Fire Loss Estimates report.